


My Dreams Are Crawling and Many-Legged

by LiterallyThePresident



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast), 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Creep! Wen Chao, Huaisang is a sneaky little mastermind, Slaughter! Mingjue, The Nie brothers love each other and protect each other in the only ways they know how, Web! Huaisang, but he loves his brother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:42:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23021917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterallyThePresident/pseuds/LiterallyThePresident
Summary: Mingjue hated the Web and it’s ilk. He hated those who worked from the shadows, hated users and puppet masters. As much as it hurt, even Huaisang wouldn’t be exempt from his disdain. If Mingjue ever learned he was Web, Huaisang would lose everything. That couldn’t be allowed to happen.
Relationships: Niè Huáisāng & Niè Míngjué
Comments: 12
Kudos: 206
Collections: 魔道祖师/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation





	My Dreams Are Crawling and Many-Legged

The Slaughter always chose the Nie clan. It had chosen their father, and it had chosen Mingjue. Huaisang saw how it affected them, the madness it brought, the early ends to violent lives. So he’d taken initiative, seeking a way to protect himself and his brother, to stave off the inevitable as long as possible.

He’d found Meng Yao. He’d found the Web. 

Already gifted in the art of manipulation, Huaisang had required almost laughably little practice. Soon he surpassed even Meng Yao, not that the man had any idea of it. It would be detrimental to let anyone know how good he was, what a threat he could be. Instead, he honed his skills with little things; Influencing Su She to target Lan Xichen, earning the man Meng Yao’s ire. Subtly keeping Wei Wuxian from Lan Wangji’s side, making the man irritable and tense, more susceptible to error in the wake of his Wei Ying-focused one-track mind. Placing little hints in Jin Zixuan’s path directing him towards ways to woo Lady Jiang, gently reminding him that he could easily lose her if he wasn’t careful. 

His spiders clung tight to Mingjue as well, hidden safe and sound on his person, their voices mute unless absolutely necessary. His brother, single-minded as he was, was concerningly easy to manipulate. As such, it was only right that Huaisang be the one to do it, rather than someone less skilled, less careful. He was the only one worthy to use his big brother. No one else could play to his strengths like Huaisang could. No one else could keep him safe like Huaisang could. Better he act according to Huaisang’s will than his own, anyway. Huaisang actually gave a damn about his health, about him being hurt. If occasionally manipulating Mingjue was the price of his safety, then he’d gladly pay it. 

It worked well. Until Wen Chao managed to capture his big brother while Huaisang wasn’t looking. That day, the disciples of the Nie sect were given a violent reminder that their gentle young master was still a Nie, still related to an avatar of The Slaughter, still a force of nature all his own. 

When the blinding fury had passed, Huaisang got to work. His little spiders scurried at once to the Nightless City, dutifully weaving invisible strands around the hateful Wen and all his soldiers as they held his beaten brother at sword point. Wen Chao, oblivious to the many many legs upon him, mocked and taunted Mingjue, kicking him when he was down, laughing at his useless rage. It made Huaisang’s blood boil, but it wouldn’t do to act rashly. He had a plan. And that plan, as so many do, started with a whisper. 

Unbeknownst to Wen Chao, he was already caught tight in Huaisang’s web, already beholden to his will, doomed from the moment he captured Mingjue. But Huaisang couldn’t simply order him to release Mingjue, even he wasn’t that powerful. He had to be subtle. He had to play Wen Chao carefully, make him think everything he did was his own doing. At Huaisang’s command, a little spider whispered sweetly in Wen Chao’s ear as they dragged the raging Mingjue to the dungeons, soft and gentle and indistinguishable from Wen Chao’s own voice.

_ Nie Mingjue’s weakness is his brother,  _ it crooned,  _ if you control Nie Huaisang, you control the Red Blade Master. Bring the weak one here, lord your power over them. Make your hated enemy watch you destroy what he treasures most. _

It only took a few days for Wen Chao’s men to come, and Huaisang spent those days planning, weaving his web and setting up failsafes. It wouldn’t do to be caught unprepared, and it wouldn’t do to not have a backup. His reputation as a weak fool came in handy. The Wen soldiers didn’t question when Huaisang pretended to faint from fright at the sight of them. He admittedly felt a little bad for using himself as the catalyst for this. He felt guilt at the way Mingjue stiffened when he was brought in, the way he lunged forward as if to grab him, only held back by the Wen guards. But guilt wouldn’t help them, and guilt wouldn’t protect Mingjue. So he gave his brother a watery smile of reassurance, allowing himself to tremble just so. The picture of a frightened prisoner trying to be brave.

“You son of a bitch.” Mingjue growled, his eyes flashing with barely-contained fury, “What is this?”

“I figured you could use some company.” Wen Chao grinned, reaching over to ruffle Huaisang’s hair in a mockery of affection that made him flinch, “And what better company than your darling little brother?”

“He has nothing to do with this!” Mingjue roared, “You miserable snake, needing to use such underhanded tactics against me, I’m gonna-“

“You’re not gonna do a thing.” Wen Chao grinned, interrupting him in a blatant show of disrespect, “Not while I have my esteemed guest here. You best watch your tongue, Red Blade Master, lest in my anger I... lash out.” Mingjue’s eyes were dark, the veins in his forehead prominent. But he didn’t attack. Hiding a frown, Huaisang wondered what else he needed to do to make his brother snap. He needed Mingjue to be the one to do it, Mingjue had to be the one who slaughtered them all. If seeing Huaisang in enemy hands didn’t induce a rage of slaughter, then what would?

He was pulled from his musings when Wen Chao kicked Mingjue in the stomach with a laugh, and Huaisang momentarily saw red. He wanted to retaliate, to hurt the man, make him pay. He wanted to end him, but he reigned himself in. If his threads pulled Wen Chao back now, if he tipped his hand and simply killed him, then his web would be exposed. Mingjue hated manipulation, hated underhanded tactics and dishonorable combat. If he discovered Huaisang’s machinations, learned about his affiliation with the Web, he would be furious. Disgusted. But most of all, betrayed. Even if everything Huaisang did was to protect his brother, he wouldn’t care. It wouldn’t matter.

Mingjue hated the Web and it’s ilk. He hated those who worked from the shadows, hated users and puppet masters. As much as it hurt, even Huaisang wouldn’t be exempt from his disdain. If Mingjue ever learned he was Web, Huaisang would lose everything. That couldn’t be allowed to happen, and so he needed to get Wen Chao’s attention away from Mingjue in a subtle and shrewd way while he worked to drive his brother to attack. And what better way to do that than to play to the cretin’s vices? A twitch of his finger sent another spider scuttling up to Wen Chao’s ear, pincers wiggling with anticipation as it quietly directed Wen Chao’s attention towards Huaisang instead. 

_ Look at him, so small and soft, so helpless, _ it crooned into Wen Chao’s ear,  _ Just how you like them. You’re focusing on the wrong Nie. Break the pretty younger one and Red Blade Master will fall in line. Why not mix business and pleasure? _

Wen Chao’s gaze slid from Mingjue to him, the suggestion taking hold. Huaisang batted his lashes helplessly, his eyes wide and fearful and oh so tempting to an animal like Wen Chao, and his web pulled taught. The man’s eyes sharpened with greed as they fell onto Huaisang, his grin going lascivious as the spider’s words washed over his susceptible mind. Mingjue noticed his expression, and his low growl would have sent any sensible man cowering. Luckily for Huaisang, Wen Chao was not a sensible man. 

“Although...” Wen Chao murmured almost to himself, stepping away from Mingjue and towards Huaisang, “As satisfying as hurting you would be, oh mighty Red Blade Master, you’re a man that can take pain. Torture could only go so far. A man can’t help but wonder if your baby brother has the same tenacity.”

“If you lay a  _ fucking hand  _ on him-“ Mingjue cut himself off with a snarl as Wen Chao seized Huaisang by the waist, pulling his slighter frame against him with a sick smirk. Huaisang immediately tried to pull away, but a hand coming up to slide around his throat put an end to that. Huaisang stilled, his eyes watery as they met Mingjue’s burning ones. Fear was an easy emotion to feign. It was also an emotional Mingjue reacted negatively to. 

“Did you say something?” Wen Chao grinned, his free hand shamelessly roaming across Huaisang’s body in a way that made him shudder with disgust. The things he did for his brother. Only, Mingjue wasn’t moving. He seemed frozen in place, muscles locked as if he were physically holding himself back from lunging at them. Wen Chao had been clever enough to leave Huaisang between them as a sort of human shield. If Mingjue gave into the rage and attacked, then Huaisang would be caught in the middle. 

Hm. So it seemed Mingjue’s restraint was indeed stronger when Huaisang was at risk. That wouldn’t do. These Wens needed to die here and now, and it seemed Mingjue wasn’t going to act as long as Huaisang was being held hostage. It seemed Huaisang needed to move on to his second plan, unpleasant as it was. Wen Chao would know his hand had been moved by someone else, but he wouldn’t live long enough to know why. 

In the end, one tug was all it took. One pluck on the right string and the knife hidden in Wen Chao’s sleeve was thrusting forward, burying itself in Huaisang’s side. Huaisang didn’t have to fake the way he cried out, the way his knees buckled from the sudden pain, blood spilling down his robe and staining the floor beneath them. He fell to his knees as Wen Chao backed away with shock, distancing himself from the bleeding figure, but it was already too late. 

Mingjue  _ lost it. _

—

When it was all over, Huaisang would emerge from the shadows, stepping carefully around the puddles of gore and viscera to stand before his brother. He would keep a few feet between them, just in case, and pitch his voice low to avoid riling him further. He’d keep his eyes wide and innocent, just the right amount of fearful, the very picture of the defenseless little brother in need of protection, with the added incentive of the wound on his side, his hand pressed tightly to it, blood seeping out from between his fingers. It would take a few moments, but soon clarity would begin to trickle back into his brother’s dark eyes, and the fingers wrapped around Baxia’s slick hilt would loosen slightly. 

“Brother.” Huaisang would call, and his brother would finally acknowledge his presence, “Brother, it’s over now. They’re all dead. We’re safe.” A moment would pass, and then Mingjue would growl and yank him forward, crushing him to his chest with one arm while the other clutched Baxia, his maddened eyes scanning the room for any remaining threats. But there was none. Wen Chao was dead. Mingjue was safe. No one was the wiser to Huaisang’s scheming. 

Later, Mingjue would apologize grimly to him, thinking it his fault that Huaisang was captured. He would take them home and throw himself into training, determined to never let Huaisang fall into enemy hands again. He would buy Huaisang an exquisite fan and a beautiful new calligraphy set. He would order him to rest while his wound healed, even setting a guard to ensure he didn’t try to wander around. He would blame himself, but Huaisang would do his best to ease his mind. Despite using him, despite manipulating him, Huaisang truly did love his elder brother. He didn’t want him to suffer, he didn’t want him to blame himself. 

But that was all in the future. For now, held securely with his face buried in Mingjue’s blood soaked armor, Huaisang allowed himself a satisfied smile of a job well done.


End file.
